The present disclosure relates generally to hand deployable illumination beacons and, more particularly, to a light weight, field modifiable illumination beacon.
Traditionally, infrared illumination beacons are used to emit a covert signal that is visible at long ranges by the use of night vision equipment. These illumination beacons may be used for a variety of purposes including identification of landing zones, roadways, obstructions, aircraft, vehicles, personnel, etc. However, such conventional illumination beacons may experience problems with respect to power management, including the use of large batteries in order to achieve a desired lifespan. Such large batteries may compromise the covert nature of the beacon and may be accidentally disconnected when in use, thereby hindering performance and reliable operation. Further, many prior illumination beacons are not designed for field deployment in that their respective batteries may become loose or disengaged when thrown or placed in water. Many traditional illumination beacons also have limited infrared visibility ranges. Additionally, often illumination beacons do not utilize effective placement of light sources such that field deployment of the beacons must be precise in order to provide proper signal coverage. Additionally, many prior art illumination beacons are not field customizable, nor may they be activated by a variety of external, including remotely located, triggering means.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an illumination beacon includes a housing having an outer wall with a center plane defined by a circle, the housing further including a transparent top surface and a transparent bottom surface. An upper mounting member is supported within the housing intermediate the transparent top surface and the transparent bottom surface. A lower mounting member is supported within the housing intermediate the upper mounting member and the transparent bottom surface. An upper light source is supported by the upper mounting member and is oriented to project light upwardly through the transparent top surface. A lower light source is supported by the lower mounting member and is oriented to project light downwardly through the transparent bottom surface. A driver system is received within the housing and is operably coupled to the upper and lower light sources, the driver system being configured to activate the upper and lower light sources. A controller is received within the housing and is operably coupled to the driver system, the controller being configured to control operation of the driver system for activating the upper and lower light sources in a flashing manner. A battery is received within the housing intermediate the upper mounting member and the lower mounting member, the battery being operably coupled to the driver system for providing power to the upper and lower light sources. A power management system is operably coupled to the battery. The power management system includes a signal generator coupled to the battery and configured to generate first and second voltage signals, and an inductor coupled to the signal generator. The inductor selectively stores energy from the battery in response to the first voltage signal from the signal generator, and provides energy to power the upper and lower light sources in response to the second voltage signal to increase energy efficiency of the battery.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a illumination beacon includes a housing, a mounting member supported within the housing, and a light source supported by the mounting member and oriented to project a non-visible light external to the housing. A controller is received within the housing and is operably coupled to the light source, the controller being configured to activate the light source in one of a plurality of flashing modes. A battery is received within the housing and is operably coupled to the light source. A mode select interface is operably coupled to the controller, the controller being configured to select a flashing mode of the light source in response to input to the mode select interface. An external trigger system is operably coupled to the controller, the controller being configured to activate the light source in response to input to the external trigger system. A status indicator is operably coupled to the controller and is configured to project a visible light external to the housing in response to input to at least one of the mode select interface and the external trigger system.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an illumination beacon includes a housing having an outer wall with a center plane defined by a circle, the housing further including a transparent top surface and a transparent bottom surface. An upper mounting member is supported within the housing intermediate the transparent top surface and the transparent bottom surface. A lower mounting member is supported within the housing intermediate the upper mounting member and the transparent bottom surface. An upper light source is supported by the upper mounting member and is oriented to project light upwardly through the transparent top surface. A lower light source is supported by the lower mounting member and is oriented to project light downwardly through the transparent bottom surface. A controller is received within the housing and is operably coupled to the upper and lower light sources, the controller being configured to control operation of the upper and lower light sources in a flashing manner. A battery holder is positioned intermediate the upper mounting member and the lower mounting member, the battery holder including a positive terminal and a negative terminal. A coin cell battery is removably received within the battery holder for electrical communication with the positive terminal and the negative terminal for providing power to the upper and lower light sources. The housing has an outer diameter of no greater than 1 inch.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of providing a light signal includes the steps of providing a housing, a light source within the housing, and a status indicator within the housing. The method further includes providing an input to a mode select interface, and illuminating the status indicator to project a visible light external to the housing. The method also includes the steps of illuminating the light source to project a non-visible light external to the housing in one of a plurality of different flashing patterns based upon the input to the mode select interface, and supplying power to the status indicator and the light source from a battery. The method further includes the steps of generating voltage signals, storing energy from the battery in a storage device in response to a first voltage signal, and supplying energy from the energy storage device to the status indicator and the light source in response to a second voltage signal.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of various features and components according to the present disclosure, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure. The exemplification set out herein illustrates embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.